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The golden age of British Airways (before the strikes and £5 sandwiches)

Aircraft cabins were once bastions of sophistication and securing the job of flight attendant - or air hostess, as it was back then - worthy of a picture story in your local paper.

Wendy Barlow, a former flight attendant with BOAC, told Telegraph Travel in 2015: “Being born in 1942, brought up in the post war period, when rationing was still in force, and food was scarce. It was a revelation to me to learn all about the various foods, wine and cocktails from around the world. I had only seen such opulence on the big screen in cinemas.

“It really was the most glamorous job in the world, like being a super model, or an actress today. My mother even had an article put in our local paper, and a picture of me in uniform. The title of the article was: 'Wendy becomes an Air Hostess with BOAC.' We were the golden girls!”